Good morning. As you will probably have heard already,Ed Miliband,the energy secretary, has announced plans to build a new nuclear power station in Suffolk, Sizewell C. Here is the Guardian story.
Oops. That is our story from 2009, when Gordon Brown was prime minister, Miliband was energy secretary for the first time, andSizewell Cwas first getting the go-ahead from government.
Often reading about British politics (and writing about it) can feel like being trapped in a circular doom loop of stasis, particularly when the government is talking about infrastructure policy. But this time it is different, Miliband claimed in interviews this morning. In an interview with Today, whenJustin Webb, the presenter, pointed out that the last Conservative government also said that it was committed to Sizewell C and asked what was different this time,Milibandhad a simple answer.
Miliband went on:
Here is our overnight story, byJessica Elgot.
Miliband was doing an interview round this morning, and he will be in the Commons making a statement about this later.Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is also giving a speech this morning that will cover nuclear power.
At Westminster, opposition to the Sizewell C announcement is likely to be limited. The last Conservative government was in theory in favour. In the past the Liberal Democrats were sceptical about nuclear power, butthat has changed under Ed Davey. Judging by Nigel Farage’sspeech yesterday, you might conclude that Reform UK back opening coalmines as their preferred answer to the energy crisis, but they have not spoken out against nuclear power stations.
So, on this issue, theGreen partyhave the opposition side of the pitch all to themselves. This morningAdrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader and MP for Waveney Valley, which covers parts of Suffolk and is not far from Sizewell, issued this statement. He said the money could be “far better spent” on green energy and better insulation.
Morning:Keir Starmeris on a visit in Suffolk.
10.30am:Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is speaking at the GMB conference.
11am:Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, holds a press conference to announce the party’s new chair. Accordingto the Daily Mail, the new chair is the TV presenter and former Brexit party MEP David Bull.
11.30am:Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
Noon:Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
After 12.30pm:Miliband is expected to make a statement to MPs about the plan to go ahead with the Sizewell C nuclear power station.
3pm:Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, gives evidence to the Commons home affairs committee on asylum accommodation.
3pm:Adm Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, gives evidence to the Commons defence committee.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian hasgiven up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.